6 INTRODUCTION This publication is a collection of texts that people involved in the OIBS (Open Innovation Banking System) project at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) have entered in the massidea.org database. Central objective of the OIBS project has been to establish a permanent structure for innovation community especially as a part of teaching function of the Universities of Applied Sciences. The most important element of the designed innovation structure is massidea.org database. Three essential features of this database are (1) descriptions of present challenges, (2) visions of the future and (3) innovation bank that provides ideas on how to answer the needs (described in part 1) in the anticipated operation environment (described in part 2). Those interested on further reading regarding the theoretical base of the project should familiarise themselves with a publication Introduction to national open innovation system (NOIS) paradigma (Santonen, Kaivo-oja & Suomala, 2007). Publication can be downloaded free of charge at the FFRC webpage (direct address OIBS- project has been funded by the European Social Fund and coordinated by Laurea University of Applied Sciences. Ph.D. Teemu Santonen at Laurea has acted as a director of the project. Other partners in the project included FFRC, Helsinki University of Technology, University of Lapland and ten Universities of Applied Sciences across Finland. The project started in 2008 and is about to end by the end of year 2011, but massidea.org database will be maintained and developed even after the project that created the database has ended. The texts collected to this publication have all been entered to the visions of the future segment of the massidea.org database. Texts cover a variety of issues and are written so that a reader can understand them without prior background information on the issue the text covers. The idea has been to bring interesting or alarming glances on some possible developments or new technologies in a concise form. The texts are not supposed to be a comprehensive review on the issues the FFRC has considered to be most important at the time of the writing of the texts, rather than an extensive collection of issues that writers of these stories at the FFRC have considered interesting. Stories presented in the following pages are written by three persons: Ville Lauttamäki, Marko Ahvenainen and Vilja Laaksonen. All texts rely, at least to some extent, on information FFRC has collected from its various projects. Wherever significant additional insights outside FFRC s own sources have been used, this source has been presented after the text. The texts are in two languages. Most of the texts are in English and some in Finnish. The texts in Finnish language were written in early stages of the project when the massidea.org tool was still under development. As the development work progressed, it was decided that the interface of the tool will be in English. All texts written after that decision have been made in English. All in all the staff of FFRC has produced roughly 100 future-related texts to the massidea.org service. In this publication 73 of those are presented. Texts that resembled each other a lot, or were at the time of compiling this collection of texts already old news (the pace of chance is sometimes a lot 6

7 quicker than one might think!) were omitted. The texts are organised under several themes. In text written in English these themes are energy, environment, technology, health, traffic and society. The texts here, along with many other future-related stories written by other people than the personnel of the FFRC, can be found at the massidea.org webpage. 7

11 1. ENERGY 1.1. A cure for oil addiction Turning algae, sewage, manure, trash, and garbage into ethanol and biofuel can cut off our dependency for oil. High oil prices and environmental concerns have created a strong interest in biofuels. One of the most promising alternatives for oil is algae. There are many positive characteristics in algae fuel: it doesn t affect freshwater resources as it can be produced in ocean or in wastewater, and it is relatively harmless to the environment. It is possible to make ethanol, biogas, and biodiesel out from algae, and producing algae fuels could become commercially viable within the next several years. Algae ponds are still higher in costs than oil or corn crops producing biodiesel but the ponds require only a fragment of the land area. While oil and biofuel production can create various environmental problems such as oil spills, tropical deforestation and food shortages in developing countries, biodiesel from algae is in these respects much less harmful. Algae fuels would also lessen the global warming. The plant absorbs carbon dioxide while growing so it is environmentally sustainable even if the burning process releases carbon dioxide. Algae ponds can also use the waste caused by agriculture. These ponds don t require high technology which makes algae especially suitable for developing countries. This is highly important as developing countries will increase their CO² emissions the most in the global scale within the next two decades. Yet it is likely that algae fuels will not replace oil immediately. The algae technology is still under development, and the thousands of ponds needed to make the fuel might not be economical for another five to ten years. The timeframe is strongly dependent on the funding needed to complete the research. Algae fuels would not only make a good alternative for oil they can also treat wastewater and clean smokestack emissions. Sources: Bisk, T. (2009). A realistic energy strategy. The Futurist, 43(2), McIntyre, R. (2009). Algae s powerful future. The Futurist, 43(2), Europe builds a renewable energy super grid Intelligent electricity networks that combine IT with electric transfer technology are being planned 11

12 Renewable energy super grid is an initiative that would combine energy network all across Europe. If energy producers and users were connected it would be possible, for northern Europe at times to benefit from solar energy produced in southern Europe, whereas at other times southern Europe could benefit from hydro of wind energy of the north. This would eliminate one problem concerning some forms of renewable energy, namely the fact that it doesn t always shine, wind isn t always blowing and it doesn t rain enough every year (hydro power), therefore these forms of renewable energy are a bit difficult to rely on. However, with Europe-wide super grid different all corners of Europe would be connected and this problem could be alleviated (it s always shining or wind is blowing somewhere in Europe). Super grid would be one way to make renewable energy much more competitive than what it is today. Super grid would also have many interesting features compared to electricity networks used today. First of all, super grid is much more efficient in transporting energy as traditional electricity grids. The most interesting feature of the super grids is their intelligence. Super grids are bidirectional (consumers can both deliver and extract energy from and to the grid) and intelligent in the sense that they can optimize their operation so that during high electricity consumption some less important will be turned down thus removing the need for massive amount of reserve power. In practise, this optimizing might mean for instance that in a time of a sudden power demand, the grid would shut down all refrigerators of some big city for a couple of minutes. Super grid that would connect the whole Europe might be operational by Individual countries or groups of countries may be able to get their own sub grids operational before that, in some areas as soon as mid 2010 s. Sources: Ympäristö-lehti 8/2009 (in Finnish) 1.3. Future of energy production Due to tightening restrictions on greenhouse gases and decreasing availability of some important energy resources the energy sector faces huge challenges in the decades to come. There are three major drivers affecting the future of energy production: 1) necessary measures to tackle climate change that will affect the way energy is produced dramatically 2) growing energy needs of many newly industrialized nations of Far East and later in the future developing countries of Africa 3) projected depletion of some energy resources (most importantly oil) The issue of changing the energy production from fossil fuels towards utilising less polluting resources is most pressing in industrial nations since globally they have to be ones to initiate the change in fighting global warming. The EU has showed example by committing to cut emissions by 20% compared to the level of year 1990 by year Also, by the year % of all energy consumption in the EU should be covered with renewable resources. At the moment this number is roughly 9%. 12

13 If the EU is seriously determined to cut its emissions and increase the share of renewable energy sources, it is clear that in the future there will be a huge demand for all kinds of innovations that will conserve energy and make it possible to produce energy in a more environmentally friendly fashion. Sources: Europe A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth %20Europe%202020%20-%20EN%20version.pdf EU:s energy portal Nanosolar power Sheet solar power soon cheaper than burning oil New innovations in solar power technology are rapidly increasing the competitiveness of this renewable energy source. Many start-up companies concentrating on new production methods of renewable energy see big possibilities in the future. One of the most promising firms in this sector is a California-based company Nanosolar. This relatively young firm (founded in 2002) is working to build the world's largest solar cell factory in California and the world's largest panel-assembly factory in Germany. Their greatest achievement so far is that they have successfully created a solar coating that is the most cost-efficient solar energy source ever. Their PowerSheet cells contrast the current solar technology systems by reducing the cost of production from $3 a watt to a mere 30 cents per watt. This would make, for the first time in history, solar power cheaper than burning coal. These coatings are as thin as a layer of paint and can transfer sunlight to power at very good efficiency. Although the underlying technology has been around for years, Nanosolar has created the actual technology to manufacture and mass produce the solar sheets. The Nanosolar plant in San Jose, once in full production, will be capable of producing 430 megawatts per year. This is more than the combined total of every other solar manufacturer in the U.S. At the moment, Nanosolar has two products, Nanosolar utility panel, specifically designed for utility-scale power plants and Nanosolar SolarPly, Light-weight solar-electric cell foil which can be cut to any size. Especially the latter product is very interesting since it can be bent and shaped to cover practically any objects form milk cartons to motor cars. Source: 13

14 1.5. Portable backyard nuclear reactors There are many who think that nuclear power has a major role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; there are others who say that the cost and size of nuclear plants and the risks involved outweigh the gains. But what if there was a small, self-regulating and safe reactor design that could be buried and left alone to produce enough power to run 25,000 homes for several years before you have to "change the battery? The New Mexico-based startup, Hyperion Power Generation, is trying to turn an old idea into a novel technology a nuclear reactor small enough to be shipped by train or truck but powerful enough to supply electricity to a small city or a large industrial operation. The Santa Fe Reporter describes the product: The portable nuclear reactor is the size of a hot tub. It s shaped like a sake cup, filled with a uranium hydride core and surrounded by a hydrogen atmosphere. Encase it in concrete, truck it to a site, bury it underground, hook it up to a steam turbine and, voila, one would generate enough electricity to power a 25,000-home community for at least five years. One reactor is expected to cost about $25-$30 million each, depending on options and will yield about 70 megawatts thermal, and, depending on your steam cycle and how you're generating electricity, about 30 megawatts electrical, at the turbine. The fuel for the reactor is uranium hydride. Low-enriched, about 10 percent [uranium isotope]- 235, the rest is U-238. By comparison, bomb-grade fuel is about 98 percent enriched. According to the company producing the reactors, it s not possible to turn that fuel into a bomb. The company has already signed up first customers in Romania and the Czech Republic. The first customer installs are due in June of Sources: Millett, Stephen M.: Personalized Energy: The next paradigm. The Futurist July-August 2004, pp Power from fabrics Small motion-powered power sources could make batteries used for small electronic appliances (such as mobile phones) redundant. Researchers at Georgia Tech University have taken an important step toward creating fabrics that could generate power from the wearer's walking, breathing, and heartbeats. The researchers have made a flexible fiber coated with zinc oxide nanowires that can convert mechanical energy into electricity. The fibers, the researchers say, should be able to harvest any kind of vibration or motion for electric current. 14

15 The zinc oxide nanowires grow vertically from the surface of the polymer fiber. When one fiber brushes against another, the nanowires flex and generate electric current. By the researchers' calculations, a square meter of fabric made from the fibers could put out as much as 80 milliwatts-enough to power portable electronics. The development could make shirts and shoes that power ipods and medical implants, curtains that generate power when they flap in the wind, and tents that power portable electronics devices. The flexibility of the fibers brings the idea of wearable, foldable energy sources closer to reality. The flexibility is also crucial for harvesting energy from extremely small ambient motion. Source: Patel-Predd, Prachi MIT Technology Review February 14, Sources of limitless energy Deep heat, star power, eternal sunshine, next wave, green crude, high winds We are surrounded by inexhaustible clean energy sources. These possible sources that are still underutilised (often due to technological challenges) include: High winds: Turbine bearing balloons or rotors could intercept powerful, reliable winds 1,000 to 15,000 feet up Next wave: Wave motion energy captured to run electrical generators. Star power: Nuclear fusion (the same that powers stars). Deep heat: Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) which inject cool water two miles or deeper into the earth for superheating. Can be used nearly anywhere Eternal sunshine: Orbiting cells could capture the sun s energy 24 hour a day, nearly every day of the year. Energy will beamed in radio waves to earth. Green crude: Genetically engineered algae could streamline production by continuously secreting oil to be refined into transport fuel. Out of these enhanced geothermal systems are (in areas where the conditions of the bedrock are favourable) technologically and economically feasible already today. Wave motion energy is another candidate for a solution that could be utilised more extensively during the following decade. Other sources require technological breakthroughs or huge investments that delay the use of these technologies until 2030 s at the earliest. Sources: Morse, Gardiner Harvard Business review September

16 1.8. Wireless electricity at home In a couple of year, the cord spaghetti behind the TV set at home might be a thing of the past. Wireless electricity transfer could make cords that travel around homes and offices obsolete. In the future one can be able to power all small electricity appliances such as cell phones, game controllers, laptop computers or TV s without ever plugging them in. Wireless electricity means transforming electricity through air without an electric wire. There are various methods of transferring power wirelessly. Perhaps best known is electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves. While such radiation is excellent for wireless transmission of information, it is not that feasible for power transmission. Since radiation spreads in all directions, a vast majority of power would end up being wasted into free space. The solution for this problem is to use coupled resonant objects. Researches at MIT have been studying the possibility of using magnetic coupling as a tool to transform energy from one place to another. Magnetic coupling is particularly suitable for everyday applications because most common materials interact only very weakly with magnetic fields, so interactions with extraneous environmental objects are very small. This is important for safety considerations. The first wireless TV sets are already on the market but the big mushrooming of the technology is still a few years away. Sources: MIT News June 7, 2007: Goodbye wires!

17 2. ENVIRONMENT 2.1. Bioplastics from corn Almost every product you buy is wrapped in plastic. Traditionally plastic is made from non-renewable material, usually either from oil, coal or natural gas. Apart from consuming non-renewable resources, another downside of plastic packages is that are almost everlasting and this poses big problems as the packages are disposed. Inappropriately discarded plastic packages cause many kind problems: plastic bags jam drain systems, animals choke on plastic they mistake for food, etc. In an effort to overcome these problems, biochemical researchers and engineers have long been seeking to develop biodegradable plastics that are made from renewable resources, such as plants. Bioplastics are often made of renewable materials such as corn. It is also possible to make bioplastics from genetically engineered microbes that convert corn sugar into polymers in a fermentation process. Another possibility under research is the research for a crop that actually grows plastic inside its leaves and stems, but that product is still a few years away. Technology to manufacture plastics from plant starch and microbes already exists. There are several advantages in using of bottles made of bioplastics. Bottles are light, they won t break easily and they are hygienic. Bioplastic bottles can also be designed to contain natural antioxidants that help protect the product inside. The most serious challenge to increased use of bioplastics in the short run might be the availability of starch, also possible concerns of producing starch have to be addressed. The technology to produce renewable and biodegradable material that could be used to make plastic is alredy at hand, the downside is that the cost of making bottles from bioplastics is currently a little higher than that of manufacturing regular plastic bottles. At the moment bottles made from starch cost roughly 5-10% more than regular plastic bottles, bioplastic made with microbes is about twice as expensive as regular plastic. Possible price increase of oil might change the cost structure in favour of bioplastics by mid 2010 s. Sources: 17

18 2.2. Consumption of meat and dairy product growing in developing countries Many developing nations, especially in Asia, are experiencing a rapid economic growth. This development, however, is not without its downsides. One harmful consequence of this growing prosperity is the environmental effects of changes in dietary habits. People in developing countries currently consume on average one-third the meat and one-quarter of the milk products per capita compared to the richer North, but these differences in consumption patterns are rapidly converging. As the developing countries become more prosperous the consumption of meat and dairy products will increase. By 2020, developing countries will consume 107 million metric tons (mmt) more meat and 177 mmt more milk than they did in 1996/1998. The projected increase in livestock production will require annual feed consumption of cereals to rise by nearly 300 mmt by These dietary changes also create serious environmental problems. According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a massive scale to deforestation, air and water pollution, land degradation, loss of topsoil, climate change, the overuse of resources including oil and water, and loss of biodiversity. Especially concerning consequence of the growing consumption (and production) of meat and dairy products in developing countries is the resulting significant growth in greenhouse gas emissions. Belching cattle, such as cows, emit methane which has roughly 23 times the global-warming potential of CO 2. Combining the most significant emission sources, it is estimated that output of one kilogram of beef will result in 36-kilogram emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the amount of emissions of an average car every 255 kilometres. Sources: Christopher L. Delgado Rising Consumption of Meat and Milk in Developing Countries Has Created a New Food Revolution Journal of Nutrition 133:3907S-3910S, November Fiala, Nathan: The greenhouse hamburger. Scientific American; Feb2009, Vol. 300 Issue 2, p72-75, 4p Meat consumption reduction urged for better environment protection Meat production 'beefs up emissions' 18

19 2.3. Nano sponge for oil spills A nanowire membrane that sops up oil while repelling water could be used for cleaning up oil spills. A thin membranes made from a web of nanowires might become a promising tool for cleaning up oil spills and removing toxic contaminants from groundwater. When dipped into a mixture of water and oil, the 50-micrometer-thick membrane absorbs the oil, swelling to 20 times its weight. Typically, oil spills are cleaned up using the same basic technology used 20 years ago. This includes using absorbent materials to sop up traces of oil. Natural sorbents such as hay and cellulose can soak up between 3 and 15 times their weight in oil, while synthetic polymer-based sorbents can absorb up to 70 times their weight. But these materials tend to absorb water as well. The new membrane absorbs oil and solvents and is superhydrophobic, which means it strongly repels water. Two important characteristics give the membrane its exceptional oil-absorbing and waterrepelling properties. First, the nanowire mesh has tiny pores (10-nanometers wide on average) capable of attracting water and other liquids up into the membrane. To keep water away, researchers coat the membrane with water-repelling silicone. The result: water rolls off the surface of the membrane while oil travels quickly up the pores. Researchers hope that the nanomembrane could reduce waste and lower the cost of cleaning oil spills from boats and in the petroleum industry, but it might be too early to say whether the nanomembrane might be practical in cleaning up large oil spills. The membrane's oil-sopping capacity might diminish at a real spill. Amount of debris usually seen with an oil spill might reduce the efficiency of the sorbent. For now the membrane could be good for removing water contaminants at factories or cleaning up smaller oil spills in garages and machine shops. Sources: Patel-Predd, Prachi MIT Technology Review June 2, Lahann, Joerg (2008) Environmental nanotechnology: Nanomaterials clean up Nature Nanotechnology 3, (2008) 2.4. Phosphorus fertilizers from waste water Phosphorus reserves are depleting in the world, one answer to this looming shortage can be extracting phosphorus from waste water Phosphorus is an essential fertilizer for the agriculture industry. The demand for fertilizers is expected to grow in coming decades, especially because of growing fertilization in the developing countries. According to some experts, phosphate rock reserves in quarry sites around the world are depleted in roughly 50 years. Even before that the price of the phosphate extracted from this diminishing natural 19

20 reserve will start to increase and make food production more expensive. This might cause a serious problem for the food supply of the world. However, one solution to the problem might be closer than we think. Answer may lie in processing domestic sewage, that is, from the wastewater we (people) flush down the toilet every day. Sewage has traditionally been a nuisance because it triggers blooms of algae that deplete local waters of oxygen. In the future this waste could be a valuable raw material of the fertilizer industry. Phosphorus can be collected from sewage at the wastewater treatment facilities. Once collected, it can be processed to pellets, which can be used as a fertilizer in agriculture just like phosphorus extracted form phosphate rock. Especially in the future when the price of fertilizers is expected to grow, producing fertilizers form waste is a lucrative business. Even bigger returns than processing domestic sewage, might be gained from processing nutrients from cattle and pig waste (also methane for energy production could be collected in the process). The domestic wastewater industry has enormous potential, but the potential of the agricultural industry is considered to be even bigger. Sources: Tweed, Katherine: Sewage Industry Fights Phosphorus Pollution. Scientific American, November us_ html (in Finnish) 2.5. Purifying water with nano-particles With global water usage on the increase and fresh water in limited supply, the novel approach of adding nanoparticles to a water purifying membrane could double its efficiency and make such purification technology a viable solution to a growing problem. Reverse osmosis, feeding water through a semipermeable membrane to filter out impurities, is widely considered to be the most effective way to desalinate water. But it is very energy-intensive, and therefore expensive, because water has to be forced through the membrane under pressure. A key way to reduce the costs involved is to increase the water throughput for the same pressure. California-based company, NanoH2O, has found that adding porous nanoparticles to membranes can double the efficiency with which water can be filtered. In a desalination plant, this increased permeability would reduce energy requirements by 20 percent, or increase water productivity by 70 percent for the same cost. The material used for reverse osmosis is usually an organic thin-film membrane, typically a polymide material perforated with tiny holes. These holes are small enough to let water pass through, but they block salt and other contaminants. NanoH2O's approach is to embed cage-like nanoparticles made out of aluminosilicate minerals, called zeolites, into the membrane. These particles have a diameter of no more than 200 nanometres--roughly equivalent to the thickness of the membrane. 20

21 Source: Graham-Rowe, Duncan MIT Technology Review September 29, Rubbish dumps mines of the future? As demand for raw material grows, the old rubbish dumps filled with potentially reusable material might become possible sources for industrially exploitable material As the reserves of many natural resources are being depleted and opening new mines to extract still existing pristine recourses from the earths crust becomes more and more difficult due to difficult attainability and environmental laws, one possible place to look for new raw materials for industrial products in the future might be old rubbish dumps. Since recycling of many non-renewable materials has been very little for the better part of the 20 th century and is so even today (roughly half of the trash of the rich countries is still being transported to rubbish dumps) there is a vast stock of plastic, metal and building material that has been just dumped into the ground and is waiting there to be collected and re-used. For instance, it is estimated that in Britain alone, landfill sites could offer an estimated 200 million tons of old plastic - worth up to 60 billion, or $111 billion (at 2008 prices) to be recovered and recycled, or converted to liquid fuel. Already many old rubbish dumps are used as a resource through collecting methane generated by decomposition of organic materials. Once the methane discharges drain and the collection of the gas is no longer viable, it might be time to open up the site and search for the once dumped materials for recycling. Sources: Hietanen, Olli - Lauttamäki, Ville - Vehmas, Jarmo - Heikkilä, Juha & Lehmann-Chadha, Martin (2006) Jätealan megatrendit ja haasteet Euroopassa. Loppuraportti. 170 s. Tutu-julkaisuja 5/2006 (in Finnish) Kelland, Kate. Landfill sites are being viewed as mines with buried riches. The New York Times Water shortages In 50 years half of the humanity will be struggling with water shortages. 21

22 One of the most alarming threats for societies of the future is water shortage. According to the United Nations a worldwide water crisis will be formed within 50 years. It has been estimated that over 2 billion people will be living in water scarcity by the middle of this century. At the moment water shortages are affecting 400 million people so the number is going to explode dramatically. Over 70 % of the Earth s surface is covered with water but only 2.5 % of that amount is usable for human consumption. Three-quarters of the world s water is salt-laden, and is not directly drinkable per se. Freshwater is rare, and moreover, it is unevenly distributed. This doesn t mean that the problem would not touch countries that are blessed with renewable supplies of freshwater. Agriculture is the single largest freshwater consumer, and it accounts for 85 % of the world s freshwater consumption. Also industrial demands are raising the water consumption: it takes 300 litres of water to produce 1 kg of paper, and 15,000 tons of water to produce a ton of beef. When nations like China and India will continue their industrialization, the water consumption will continue to increase. Approximately 90 % of the severe problems are in developing countries which suggest that the problem really is poverty. It can be seen that 80 % of the illnesses in the developing countries are waterrelated. Shortages of safe drinking water causes diarrhoeal diseases: from 1990 to 2000 there were more children killed by diarrhoea than the whole amount of killed people in armed conflicts since the Second World War. One possibility for the future is using the extensive amount of water conserved in the oceans. The most common desalination methods are distillation and membrane filtration, which will purify the water. However, the energy costs of distillation are relatively high this makes it unaffordable option for many countries. Membrane filtration is cheaper option as it requires less energy. The flip side of the coin is that desalination produces brine, which can be harmful to the environment. Desalination is still the last resort, and actions like wastewater reclamation are likely to be more effective for increasing water supply. If we compare water to another important commodity like energy it is visible that water shortages are unlike any other there is no alternative source of freshwater. From this point of view it is clear why freshwater is called as "the oil of the twenty-first century". Sources: Schumacher, A. Water for all: moving towards access to fresh drinking water and sanitation. UN Chronicle Online edition: 1st United Nations World Water Development Report: Water for People, Water for Life. United Nations nd United Nations World Water Development Report: Water, a shared responsibility. United Nations

23 3. TECHNOLOGY D printing print your own things Ever decreasing prices and increasing versatility of 3D printers might mean big changes to manufacturing industry 3D printing (called also additive manufacturing) is a technology where a three dimensional object is created by several layers of material. 3D printer s ink is a material which is deposited in successive, thin layers until a solid object emerges. 3D printers offer the ability to print parts and assemblies made of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties in a single process. Engineers and designers have been using 3D printers already for several years, but mostly to make prototypes quickly and cheaply before embarking on designing and starting a factory process to produce the actual product. In recent years 3D printers have become cheaper. Unlike earlier models of 3D printers, the ones already existing ad being developed, can print objects form several materials with different mechanical and physical properties (such as moving parts). With increased knowledge and possibility to combine various materials the uses of 3D printers will become more versatile. Once this new technology becomes more affordable, it will change the way we shop many of our everyday items. It is no longer necessary to get each and every item from a store, you can print the item you need at home. Imagine, for instance, that you are fixing a bike or a boat. You are missing just two very specific screws to finish the job, but you aren t at all sure where you could find just those right screws. Another common situation might be where your child wants some toy for her birthday but the toy is totally sold out. With 3D printer these problems become easier to solve. All a person needs to do is to purchase is the license to print the screw or a toy one needs, put the basic materials the printer need in the machine, press print and there it is. Of course, one isn t limited with just the designs available on the market. It is also possible to design the desired piece at home and print out your own design. So far the possibilities of 3D printing have covered just rather small-scale objects, but in the future, with giant-scale printers, it might also be possible to print out even larger objects such as cars or whole buildings. Sources: (in Finnish) 23

24 3.2. Acoustic cloak Objects coated in a new material would be "hidden" from noise Engineers have designed a material that redirects sounds and could be used in buildings to shield them from noises. The sound-shielding material, if actually made, would be the first acoustic cloaking device. Acoustic cloaking materials, which direct sound waves around an object so that they re-form on the other side with no distortion, do not exist in nature. But engineers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in Spain, have created a plan for making them, using alternating layers of two different materials. These materials would comprise arrays of sonic crystals patterns of small rods made of aluminium or other materials that allow some sound waves to pass while blocking the passage of others. For about 10 years, engineers in various Universities around the world have been designing metamaterials to manipulate light in the hope of creating new display technologies, microscope lenses, and computer chips dense with transistors. According to latest knowledge, these metamaterials can be used to manipulate sound waves as well as light waves. In order for a material to work as an acoustic cloak, the speed of sound passing through it must be direction dependent. That is, sound waves travelling through the shielding material from one direction must move at a different speed than waves travelling in a perpendicular direction. These differences create scattering effects that should direct sound waves to flow over a shielded object like water flowing around a rock. Because the waves return to their original conformation after passing such a shielded object, a listener inside such a shield wouldn't hear the sounds flowing around. Source: Bourzac, Katherine MIT Technology Review June 17, Artificial intelligence in service work In the future many service workers could be displaced by artificial intelligence. Self-service technologies are increasingly changing the way how customers define and value the service field. The next big step in the service sector might come along with AI, artificial intelligence, which could make the services more efficient and affordable. It has been assumed that self-service technology might affect to consumer satisfaction as it reduces personal contact in service. Because of this it doesn t seem likely that self-service could ever totally replace service workers customers want personal contact and individualized service. The thing is that artificial intelligence isn t comparable to the current self-service technology. 24

25 Even doctor s appointment could be organized and taken care of by artificial intelligence. The doctor s automated telephone system could ask the patient series of questions with friendly voice expressing medical concern. Based on the answers, the doctor s system guides the patient to the next room for lab tests. The diagnosis is made instantly after the tests, and the system dispenses the appropriate medication. The doctor s system has been in contact with the insurer during the whole process, and the medication is paid directly by the insurer. When artificial intelligence becomes common it is likely to be cheaper option for the business than actual workers. If it comes popular enough it could displace many workers from service sector. Source: Malerich, S. (2009). Artificial intelligence displaces service workers. The Futurist, 43(3), Data clouds the endless registers of our lives Increasing amount of personalized information is accessible through cloud mining. As we surf in the Internet we leave a vast amount of personalized information behind us. This information can be collected easily and it could include particulars about your daily habits, your social networks, and detailed information about your route to work. The small pieces of information may seem unimportant but when collected together a sophisticated portrait of someone s live might be built in front of you. All Internet users operate within the cloud just imagine what your own private cloud looks like. There are almost 3.3 billion mobile phones in the world and people are increasingly using them as a primary or secondary device to get online. Mobile phones and all GPS-enabled devices can be tracked by nearby towers, and as people carry their mobile phones along them, they make ideal tools to study the behaviour of the people. It won t be long until your iphone can act as your matchmaker and recommend that you should introduce yourself to someone standing nearby, who has lots in common with you. It is obvious that business is interested in knowing more about consumers habits. Google is envisioning a future when it could advise people about suitable jobs and give activity hints for their days off. Understanding and predicting behaviour of the masses would also have significant advantages in areas like analyzing traffic patterns during rush hour, criminal intelligence, and disease control. Online personal data is hardly controlled by the person it belongs to. This raises several questions about cloud security. For instance location-tracking technology can be used to learn more about consumer and employee behaviour for example about communication styles within an organization. The new possibility enables new ways of abuse: location-tracking could easily be abused by employers, marketers, government as wells as criminals and stalkers. Once the information is send via Internet, it is stored in cloud-based databases and it can be used in ways, which the sender didn t intend. The problem is that the information stored in the cloud isn t 25

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